Senior Year with Eleanor

Ingrid has been best friends with Eleanor since their first year at University of Manchester. Through their years of friendship Eleanor has been dating Louis and Ingrid has been on and off with Niall. However, during their final year at Uni, Ingrid finds herself more and more attracted to Louis-even to the point of breaking her best friends heart.

1. Back to Manchester

"Hello, this is Eleanor. I can't get to the phone right now, so if you could please leave your name and number I'll call you back as soon as possible. Have a lovely day."

I grumbled under my breath as I waited for the beep, Eleanor never answered her phone, and I mean never. I love the girl to death, but being locked outside our apartment surrounded by luggage was not the most fun a girl could have.

"El, please answer your damn phone and open the door for me! I just flew in from America, the least you could do is give me a proper greeting."

Angrily pushing the end button on my cheap blue slide phone, I sat down on my suitcase; tapping my foot impatiently. Time seemed to pass so slowly as I waited doing nothing. Bored, I looked at my watch, "Oh wow, it's 2 am," I said aloud, shocked at the time. No wonder Eleanor wasn't opening the door, she was probably dead asleep. Quickly, I did the math in my head, and realized it was only 9 pm back home in Michigan, no wonder I'm not tired.

Although I'm originally from the United States, I go the University of Manchester for school-that's how I met Eleanor. Our freshmen year we were assigned as each other's roommate, and have been inseparable ever since. We have shared the apartment starting out sophomore year, and since then we have lived with each other during holidays and summers. However, this summer I flew back to Michigan, and Eleanor stayed in our apartment. It was tough not being with her, but I missed my family and needed to show off my slight british accent to my friends back in town.

This morning, I headed back to Manchester from Detroit's airport. I couldn't wait to get home and see El, but the minute after my flight took off, I painfully realized I forgot the apartment key at my parents house and had no possible way of opening the door. I was hoping El could open it for me, but the minute I checked my watch, I knew that wasn't going to happen.

Looking back at my watch again, thirty minutes have passed and my patience was wearing thin. I couldn't wait any longer, I was tired and wanted to crawl into bed, not sleep on the gross hallway floor. I finally sat up from my luggage, and marched to the door. With my arm's raised, I was prepared to bang on it until El answered.

"Ingrid, what are you doing?"

I quickly turned around, my long blonde ponytail whipping my face in the process. Before me stood Louis-but man, how he has changed. Gone was the boy I new last year who wore stripes almost everyday, and there stood a man with tattoos up his arms and a chest tattoo pecking from his tank top. Hot damn.

"Umm... I was just... You know..."

I stumbled over my words, I couldn't process anything with him in front of me. He just looked at me though, calm but with a confused look in his eyes. Why am I acting this way? I have a boyfriend, and most importantly that was Eleanor's boyfriend.

I cleared my throat, and took a deep breath.

"Oh my goodness. Hi, Louis. I'm stuck outside the apartment and El isn't answering, so I figured if I banged on the door she would eventually hear me..."

I looked down at my paint splattered Nikes, suddenly embarrassed in his presence. Thankfully, I heard a chuckle, and I looked up and into his blue eyes. Were they always that blue?

"Oh, Ingrid how I missed you! You crazy girl!"

Louis continued to laugh, as he pulled me into a bear hug. I could feel my cheeks get redder as I smelled his cologne and felt his strong back muscles. What is wrong with me! Realizing my eyes were wondering to his backside, I quickly let go and stepped back.

"I've missed you too Louis! But, why are you here? It's almost 3 am, shouldn't you be home?"

"I couldn't sleep, I figured El wouldn't mind if came over. I didn't know you we're coming back yet!"

"Yeah, I decided to come back a couple weeks early. I couldn't handle anymore Michigan, my home is here now," I said laughing, pushing a piece of hair that had fallen out of my ponytail behind my ear.

Louis reached into his pocket, and pulled out a set of keys. Walking to the door, he found the right one, and unlocked the door. From behind him I admired how his jeans fit him, the way they cupped his backside and hugged his thighs was perfection.

"So, you coming in?"

I snapped out of my daze, and nodded my head. What was with me? It must be the jet lag, I thought as Louis helped me pick up my luggage and walked into the apartment.

It was just how I remembered it, small but cozy. The microscopic kitchen off to the right still had three coffee makers, and the sitting area right in the middle of the apartment was just how I left it. El and I had picked all the furniture separately from each other, causing the room to have two personalities. I didn't mind though, I loved how my bright yellow couch went with her industrial styled table, and how one curtain was white and the other black. It was unusual, but so we're we.

I closed my eyes and breathed in home. I forgot how much I missed this place, and how much I missed El. I dropped all my luggage on the hard wood floor, and sprinted to her room, busting the door open.

"ELEANOR!" I screamed, as I jumped into her bed, hugging her uncontrollably.

"What!" El opened her eyes, trying to escape my grasp in her confused state. However, as soon as she realized it was me, she began to laugh and hug me back.

"Ingrid! I've missed you so much! Never go back to Michigan, okay? I need you here!"

I giggled at the thought, oh how I missed her. She and I are never apart, but I needed the summer to decided where I was living after graduation, back in Michigan, or here in England.

I hugged her tightly, and then let go so I could see her. Even though she had just woken up, she was stunning. Her brown wavy hair fell past her shoulders, and her eyes sparkled without any makeup. I was often jealous of her looks, and the attention she got from guys, but she always insisted I was beautiful, making me feel a little better.

"Looks like you guys are having fun, mind if I join in?" Louis yelled in his announcer voice.

El and I looked at the door. Louis was leaning against the door frame, his arms crossed allowing his biceps to seen more clearly. I had almost forgotten he was even here, my attention so focused on El. However, I couldn't help but not think about him now. Imagining him in my bed, his strong arms wrapped around me...

Blinking hard, I resurfaced from my thoughts and looked at El. You could tell she loved him from the look in her eye, and the smile on her face, so why was I thinking about Louis that way?

"Oh fine, hop in!" El said, patting the mattress.

Louis's eyes lit up and he ran forward, leaping into the bed, crushing both El and I. He spread out, covering us both equally. Laughing as we giggled and struggled to move him.

By El's command, Louis got off, and sat with his legs crossed in the middle of the bed, facing us. I smiled, he looked like such a child sitting in the dim light, however, his numerous tattoos gave away his age. Louis look me dead in eye, and then began to fake cry; pouting his lips and wiping away fake tears.

"You girls don't love me! And all I wanted was to be loved!"

Louis continued to wail, shaking his shoulders up and down, as if really sobbing. El and I just laughed at his acting, we were used to these kind of shows. Louis was always trying to make us laugh, and constantly acted out extreme emotions.

"Oh you know we're just kidding, Lou! Of course we love you!" I said in an overly loving voice, reaching with my arm to pull him closer to us. However, he swatted my arm away like a fly, and got off the bed. Continuing to fake cry, Louis faced us with a hand on his hip and a sad smirk on his face. Crying, he said, "I'll just go somewhere else; where people actually want to be near me."

He turned away from us, and walked out the door, a little bit of sass in each step. El and I had seen this trick before and knew just how to handle it.

"El, I miss Louis! We shouldn't have been so mean to him," I sarcastically said loud enough for Louis to hear.

"You're write, Ingrid. Louis's so handsome and amazing, we should worshipped his presence," El said, sarcastically emphasizing each word.

We only had to wait a mere second, until he ran into the room screaming, "YAYY!!!" with hands into the air and a happy grin on his face. He quickly jumped on the bed again, careful to not land on me or El, and sat in the middle of the bed instead of on top of us.

Together we laughed and gently threw pillows at one another, happy to be in each other's presence. I stared at Louis from across the small bed, his hair had changed and more scruff was on his face then than the beginning of summer. He was making me smile more and more with his laughter, and I grew more consciously aware of how beautiful he was. Stop it, Ingrid, I thought.

"Well, this was fun, but I better go to my room and start putting my stuff away." I sighed, rising from the bed.

I smiled at his comment, hugging myself with happiness. Why was I acting this way? I knew better than to feel this, but I couldn't help it. He was just so attractive, and sweet... Snap out of it, he's just Louis; a friend, nothing more.

Sighing, I dragged my luggage to my naked room.

"This will be a fun year," I whispered under my breath, reaching into the first suit case and began unpacking clothes.